Pokemon Go Tips for Noobs

I realized after talking to both of my bosses (at home and at work), that Pokemon Go is BIG, so I have come up with a few Pokemon Go Tips for Noobs. Now it should be mentioned that I haven't played much, but the amount that I have played and from my conversations, it seems I may have found a few tricks which you might find useful.

Pokemon Go Tips for Noobs

The goal of the game, is to get as many Pokemon as you can, and as many different ones as you can.

Practice Safe Pokemon Go

Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Sure, accidents happen, you trip, you bump your head... but it loss of life or major damage, really worth catching Pikachu?

MASSACHUSETTS– 26 Year-Old Lamar Hickson is accused of causing one of the worst highway accidents after stopping in the middle of the highway to catch a Pikachu. Read More... #dontpokemongoanddrive

Turn Off the Augmented Reality

The AR feature in Pokemon GO definitely adds a layer of immersion and offers up a lot of great screenshot opportunities. But having AR on, makes it harder to catch Pokemon. Not only do you have to worry about throwing your Pokeball, you also have to worry about keeping the camera/device steady so your intended Pokemon stays in the frame. So use the AR to get your screenshots, then turn off AR so you can catch more Pokemon.

Spin them Pokeballs

Put a little "English" on those Pokeballs, before you throw them. It makes it easier to catch them and can grant extra HP.

Start by holding down your Pokeball and make circular motions until it starts to spin and shoot out sparkles. Then throw it toward the Pokemon on a curve -- left of it if you're spinning clockwise, and right if you're spinning counter-clockwise. You're more likely to catch Pokemon with curve-balls.

Use Lures and Incense wisely

If you plan ahead with your Lures or Incense, you'll get a lot more out of using them -- especially if you're living in a rural area. Plan a trip to a city or highly populated area with lots of Pokestops. Find a bakery/cafe that's also a Pokestop, then drop a Lure. Enjoy delicious food and drinks while the Pokemon come swarming to you. I personally dropped a few Lures while hanging out with some friends at a Starbucks/Pokestop, and managed to catch upwards of 20 Pokemon in the hour that I spent there.

Incense is a little different. Use Incense when you're walking around, not set in one place. Circle an area, maybe a park, or some city blocks, and lure in the nearby Pokemon which will smell you and come out of hiding. It's a bit like chumming the waters.

If you're going to spend Pokecoins on anything, spend them on Lures and Incense.

Timing is everything

You've gotta have Pokeballs to catch Pokemon (obviously), so using those Pokeballs wisely is a must. To increase your chances of getting Pokemon on the first try, wait until the little green/orange/red ring is at its smallest, then throw. The smaller the ring is, the better your chances are of a successful catch. That means fewer wasted Pokeballs and more catching opportunities down the road.

This isn't dodgeball, but...

When you're in combat, a small swipe to the left or right will allow you to dodge the offending Pokemon's attacks. And if you're lucky, you can also dodge the secondary attacks as well.

Pikachu Starter Easter Egg

When you have to choose a starter, just walk away until they have to respawn close to you. Do this four times. The fourth time Pikachu will be an optional starter. Just take the bus or drive the distance, because walking far enough for the respawn to happen, will take ages.

Other Areas

If you're in an area which doesn't yet have Pokemon Go, you can create an Australian Google Play based account. Download the game, and then revert to your true location. If you're on iOS just change your location or make a new account in countries that have it such as Japan, Austrailia, or the US.

WARNING: Do not download and install an APK manually. Doing so, can get you banned, or worse add a backdoor trojan onto your Android device (yes, this is happening).